There are currently over 500,000 slot machines in operation that together generate more than $15 billion in annual revenue for United States casinos. Most casinos generate more than half of their gaming revenues from slot machines and some individual casinos offer three or four thousand slot machines at a single location. In fact, two different casinos in Connecticut each provide over six thousand slot machines for players. Thus, it is well known within the gaming industry that gaming devices, such as slot machines, are a major draw for players wishing to engage in a gaming experience. Players are often drawn toward gaming machines because of the possibility of winning large jackpots in exchange for a relatively small wager. For example, a player may insert twenty-five cents into a gaming machine and hit a $10,000 jackpot on just one handle pull.
However, many players find that in order to maximize the possibility of winning a large jackpot, they may have to play a particular gaming machine for an extended period of time. Often spending numerous hours at one gaming machine, a player may go through many “hot” or “cold” periods whereby the player may win a large amount of money, lose much of their money, and then win it all back. In the case where a gaming machine may be in a cold period and fail to award any winning combinations for an extended period of time, many players may become frustrated and either stop playing entirely or leave to find what they may believe to be a hot gaming machine. As a result, a need exists for a player to be able to avoid or manage a gaming device's cold periods.